Give It Another Chance
by StarESP4Cat
Summary: Sara call in sick. Nick doesn't believe her and gets to the bottom of what is really going on with her. NS friendship.


Give It Another Chance

Pairing: Sara and Nick

It's Valentine's Day and Sara called in sick. Nick isn't convinced she is sick and goes to her apartment to found out why.

A/N: This takes place some time during the second season after Overload.

A/N2: I know that this is too late or too early for Valentine's Day depending how you look at it. I would have had this published a little sooner, but I was busy working with other projects and almost neglected this one completely. A million apologies!

Disclaimer: I don't own Nick, Sara and the rest of CSI. If I did, Nick and Sara would already be married with children, pets (an Irish Setter and a ragdoll cat) and a nice house.

Everyone was present that day except for Sara. She had apparently called in sick. Grissom had to pull someone from Ecklie's shift to cover for Sara. Nick emerged from the break room and noticed something wasn't right.

"Grissom, have you seen Sara?" Nick asked.

"She called in sick," Grissom said.

"Sick, my ass," Nick hissed. "She was fine yesterday. Yet, things can change."

"Do you suspect something else is going on with her?" Catherine asked. "She requested a day off last Valentine's Day due to exhaustion."

"I don't think she was exhausted," Nick shook his head. "That girl racks up overtime like crazy. Grissom, give me four hours and I will get to the bottom of this. I don't care if you have to pull somebody from that weasel Ecklie's shift to cover for me too. I just need to see if she is really sick or something entirely different."

"Nicky, you just got yourself a new assignment," Grissom smiled. "If Sara isn't really sick, bring her here!"

"You got it," Nick smiled as he went to the locker room.

Half an hour later, Nick parked his Tahoe in Sara's complex. He got out and approached the door. He stood in front of her door for a minute doing nothing. He knocked the door.

"Who is it?" a voice sounding exactly like Sara's asked.

"Sara, I know you are there," Nick said. "It's me, Nick Stokes, your friend and colleague. Come on and let me in already!"

"Nick I am sick and contagious," Sara said. "I don't think you would want to catch what I have."

"Yeah right, you are not sick," Nick said. "I am not buying into that. You may fool Grissom, but not me. Just let me in and I will see how sick you really are."

The door opened and Sara emerged with tears streaming down her face. Nick's suspicions were confirmed. This was really something else, but he wanted to make sure his wasn't humored. He entered the apartment. Sara sat on her couch.

"Nick, why are you here?" Sara said.

"This is the second time you have avoided work," Nick said. "I see that that day is Valentine's Day. Last year, it was due to 'exhaustion'. This year, you are 'sick'. Okay, humor me, Sidle! Where is your thermometer? I want to take your temperature. Then we need to talk."

"It's in the medicine cabinet," Sara said. "I have a digital thermometer. The probe covers are right next to it."

Nick went to the bathroom and returned with covered thermometer. Sara took it from him and put it under her tongue and turned it on. When it loudly and rapidly beeped, Nick took it out and read the thermometer.

"You don't have a fever," Nick was shaking his head. "Sara, what is really going on with you?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Sara said. "Just get out of my place and go back to the lab!"

"Sara, I am not leaving here until I get some answers," Nick chuckled. "You really don't have much of a choice."

"Okay, you want to know what is bugging me," Sara said. "I will tell you! First, you have to promise me you won't laugh and think I am being ridiculous."

"Sara Sidle, I would never laugh at your problems regardless of how ridiculous you think they are," Nick said almost defensively.

"I hate Valentine's Day," Sara said. "Ever since I was a kid, I dreaded it every year."

"What happened?" Nick asked.

"I was picked on as a child," she explained. "When it came to Valentine's Day, I often got the shittiest cards or none at all. In high school, no boy asked me to the annual Valentine's Day dance. When I was in college, I had my first boyfriend. He dumped me on Valentine's Day and he started to date some bimbo. So, Nick Stokes, what are you going to do about it?

He said nothing and pulled her into an embrace. His strong arms were around her waist. Nick couldn't believe what he had just heard.

"Sara, you know kids can be cruel," Nick said gently. "What they did to you was truly despicable. They are assholes who never appreciated you the way I do. Those boys who looked the other way are jerks and never saw the Sara Sidle I see here. As for your first boyfriend, shame on the son of a bitch! He doesn't even deserve to have another girlfriend after what he did to you. I would like to track him down and teach him a lesson on the proper treatment of women. That fucking clown doesn't even deserve to breathe the same air we do."

"Nick, I get the point," Sara said. "You have yet to hear the worst Valentine's Day of my life."

"I am listening," he said. "I am not going anywhere. Just let it out."

"I was in my junior year at Harvard," she said heavily. "There was a girl that lived in the same dorm as I did. She brought along one of her male friends to hang out with her and her friends. I was on my way to meet a few friends so we could study. This guy approaches me and pinches me hard in the cheek. An hour after I returned he followed me to my room and raped me."

Nick made a fist and punched a pillow on Sara's couch. He was livid after what Sara told him. No wonder why she avoided this day, it reminded her of those terrible ones in the past. He embraced her and let her cry. He didn't care if his shirt got stained by her tears. He stroked her back and made some soothing noises.

"Sara, I don't know what to say," Nick said. "I am sorry that shit had to happen to you. I understand now why you despise that holiday so much. I want to change that!"

"Nick, there is nothing you can do to change what happened in the past," Sara said in great frustration. "I can't celebrate that damn holiday!"

"Sara, I need to tell you something," Nick said. "When I was nine years old, I was sexually assaulted by a last minute babysitter. I dread that day every year, but I still went to school, church, work or shopping. I still bear the emotional scars of what happened that night, but I go on with my life."

"Oh Nick, I am so sorry to hear about that," Sara said.

"Thank you," he said. "Now, I want you to give the day another chance. I know it will not erase the terrible ones of the past, but it will give you hope for present and future ones."

"Nick, I still hate that holiday," Sara said. "There is still nothing you can do to make it any better. If you think I am coming to work today, you are out of your mind."

"Sara, this is the present and next year is the future," Nick sighed. "If you continue moping over the shitty holidays of the past, you will never enjoy the potentially beautiful ones. I hate to see you do that! Besides, everyone misses you at the lab, even Archie and Greg!"

Sara giggled almost uncontrollably.

"Are you coming to work tonight?" Nick asked with a grin. "You better, since Grissom won't allow me back to the crime lab until I bring you with me."

"Okay, you've sweet talked me into it, Cowboy," Sara said. "Could you throw in dinner at the Olive Garden?"

Nick stared at her for a moment with his mouth open. He couldn't believe that she wanted to have dinner with him as part of the agreement.

"We can have dinner at the Olive Garden," Nick winked. "Now, go to your room and change into something you wear to work. Fix your hair, you look almost like the bride of Frankenstein. I'll wait here."

Sara went to her room and closed the door. Nick took outhis cell phone, looked up a number in his address book and pressed the call button.

"Grissom," the voice on the other end answered.

"Hey Bark Beetle, this is Longhorn," Nick said. "I am about to bring Sea Lion to the crime lab. She is in excellent health! The ETA will be about 30-45 minutes."

"Thanks, Nicky," Grissom said and they both hung up.

Sara emerged from her room dressed up for work. Nick smiled and got up from the couch. Sara went to get her keys and Nick stopped her.

"I am taking you with me to work," Nick smiled. "Grissom told me to bring you there. Don't argue any further with me, you have done enough of that for one day. I'll let you pick the radio station."

"What, the Cowboy isn't in the mood for country music?" Sara asked.

"Sara, just because I was born and raised in Texas doesn't mean I listen to country music 24/7," Nick chuckled. "True, I like country music, but I love listening to rock and new wave even more. As a teenager, I was into heavy metal and listened to it to occasionally piss off my parents."

Sara laughed at her friend's latest, yet more positive sounding revelation. She noticed that man was full of surprises and cared deeply for her and her wellbeing. When she approached Nick's Tahoe, she was about to open the front passenger side door. Nick beat her to it and opened the door.

He is such a perfect Texas gentleman, Sara thought.

"Come on, young lady," Nick said. "Your chariot waits for you!"

"Nicky, you are too much!" she giggled.

Once they were in Nick's Tahoe with their seat belts on, they were on their way to the crime lab. True to his promise, let her pick the station. On their way to work, they were singing 'Hotel California' along with the radio.

THE END

POST STORY NOTES:

Bark Beetle: Since Grissom loves bugs, Nick picked that as his code name for Grissom.

Longhorn: Nick was born and raised in Texas and it's also the University of Texas' mascot. Also the author of this story was inspired to give Nick this code name after being reminded of a trip from Arizona to Miami by train. She traveled through Texas and saw lots of longhorns. Nick is a lot cuter than a longhorn.

Sea Lion: Nick's code name for Sara, since she grew up in the Pacific coast of California.


End file.
